An intragastric balloon is a device that may be inserted into a subject's stomach, and inflated, for obesity treatment. Such placement of intragastric balloons may be temporary, so intragastric balloons may be removed from the subject's stomach after a period of time.
Multiple medical devices may be used to perform steps for deflating and removing an inflated intragastric balloon from a subject's stomach. For example, a first medical device may be used to puncture the inflated intragastric balloon. Another medical device may be used to deflate the intragastric balloon. Yet another device may be used to grasp the deflated intragastric balloon for removing it from the subject's stomach. The use of multiple devices may be inefficient.
Some medical devices attempt to combine steps by using a single medical device to deflate the inflated intragastric balloon and grasp the deflated intragastric balloon. However, in some instances, the device, when grasping one or more portions of the intragastric balloon, may move the material forming the intragastric balloon in a way that obstructs the outflow of fluid from the intragastric balloon. This may make removing the intragastric balloon from the stomach more difficult, since a partially inflated intragastric balloon is larger, and more difficult to maneuver, than a deflated intragastric balloon. Further, some grasping devices may fail to adequately grasp or secure the intragastric balloon for withdrawing it from the subject's stomach.
In view of the above, there remains a need for devices and methods for deflating and removing intragastric balloons in a reliable and efficient manner.